Raven's Night
by Ebyi
Summary: A night alone, Raven spends time realizing how much his life has changed from the dark void he awakened from into quite a pleasant one. But there's one person he always remembers and thinks back to.. Can he find the heart to move on? (RavenxRena)


Hello! I've always liked RavenxSeris. Such a tragic couple, but that won't stop me from loving them! I thought about how Raven would move on, and this just came into my mind. It wouldn't leave my head, so I decided to publish it. Anyways, hopefully you like it. Please enjoy~ ^^

Here's how the others appeared in my mind (not everyone appears):

Raven \- Blade Master

Rena \- Grand Archer

Elsword \- Lord Knight

Aisha \- Dimension Witch

Eve \- Code: Nemesis

Chung \- Deadly Chaser

Elesis \- Blazing Heart

Ara \- Sakra Devanam

Add \- Lunatic Psyker

LuCiel \- Dread Lord

* * *

The air felt sullen around me, the leaves from the oak tree rustling quietly from a light breeze. It was late at night, presumably in the early morning of the next day. Feeling uneasy, I had given up on trying to sleep and left the El gang behind.

Today was the day, I decided. It seemed just about right. I wandered off into the forest and found an opening from the maze of trees. There, I found a large tree that gave off a strangely ancient atmosphere. Glancing around, there was no one to be seen among the tall trees.

I bent down on one knee and reached into my pocket. Earlier in the day, I had picked a beautiful white flower the night-blooming cereus, which is an extremely short-lived item. I kept quiet about my discovery from my friends, and I'm a bit surprised the petals maintained even within my pocket. It was a lone flower, blooming beside a rock. I had picked it because it reminded me of her...

" _Oh Raven, look!" I glanced down to where she had pointed a finger at a sketched picture of a flower. "Isn't it just beautiful?"_

 _I took note of its shape, which reminded me of the lilies in her hair. Inscribed below the image, it said 'hylocereus.' "It looks rather lovely."_

 _Seris laughed. "Are you listening to me, silly? It's a flower of a fruit, the dragonfruit!"_

" _Does that mean it's just as edible?" I joked._

 _A large, sparkling smile grew on her face. Then she looked back down and gently brushed her finger across the page._

" _It's quite marvelous… A flower that blooms once a year for one night. Isn't that sad?"_

 _I looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. Seris has always been a bright and optimistic person with composure, which made me love her even more. She can find beauty in just about anything. But I hardly hear that sad twinge in her voice._

" _Some things just can't be helped." I replied dumbly. I wasn't sure of what else to say..._

 _She closed the book, and placed both hands on its aging cover. "It's just very sad to have the thought that this beauty disappears so suddenly from this world, perhaps without ever being admired." She paused, staring down at her hands. "I have always wanted to see one in person."_

 _Gently, I reached over and held her hands with mine. "For our wedding day, how about I give this to you as a gift?"_

 _Her green eyes shone like marbles as they met mine. She was on the verge of tears, I realized._

" _Really?" Her soft voice quivered a bit._

" _Of course," I reached over her shoulder and pulled her close to me, kissing the top of her head. "Whatever that makes you happy, my love."_

It was quite a miracle to have found one, but I felt like for this occasion was just right.

I reached into my other pocket and withdrew a handkerchief with golden intricate lace designs. I laid it and the white cereus together on the root of the ancient tree.

'Seris' was sewn carefully and neatly at the corner of the handkerchief. It was a treasured item that I kept close to my heart. From a gentle, beautiful lady, I had kept it safe all this time. It remained unscathed from the many battles I have gone through. After all of this time, it is the only object I kept from my past in Velder.

"Sweet Seris..." I reached out a hand to touch the cloth gently. "There isn't a day that you don't go through my mind."

The moonlight broke through the leaves up above of the tree and shone upon myself, the handkerchief, and the flower.

"I have survived this far without you. There are times when I'm still not quite ready to let you go. I could have protected you that time. Yet, out of our comrades, only I remain…The guilt sits so heavily on my shoulders and even my heart. I felt like I could never forgive myself for living. But here I am, grateful to be alive... To be able to move on my own will." I smiled. "I am grateful for meeting Elsword. He and the El gang really did save me back then. The red-headed brat grew into such a gentleman. I'm still on a journey, perhaps a lifelong one, to atone for not only my sins but also for not being able to save the Crow Mercenary Knights.

"But along the way, I met several new comrades that I can call friends as well: Aisha, an intelligent young girl with plenty of potential; Eve, the Nasod Queen that appears cold, but I believe she is kinder than she seems; Chung, the young White Wolf of Hamel on a journey to save his father; Ara, a kind girl searching for her brother; Elesis, the older sister of Elsword, the infamous Red Haired Knight; Add, a crazed genius that we welcomed into our group later on, but I am inclined to keep a careful eye on him; Lu and Ciel, an usual pair of a demon and half-human held by a contract."

A silhouetted figure quickly flickered across my mind, interrupting my thoughts. "And then..." I began slowly. "There's Rena."

I tilted my face upwards and stared at the leaves filtering out the moonlight.

"She's a stunning woman... Beautiful, kind, generous, and talented." I whispered. "She reminds me of you. So much... That it hurts..."

Tears welled up in my eyes, making the leaves and moonlight blur together. One by one, I felt the heavy teardrops fall onto my lap.

"I needed more time with you." my voice began to break. "Perhaps one more day, one more week, one more lifetime..."

I didn't realize how hard I was gripping my trembling arm with my Nasod hand. Harsh red marks were dug deep into my skin. But I took a deep breath. "However, Seris-light of my life-you have been gone now. However, you'll never disappear from my heart." I closed my eyes. "My heart has made room for another. But it doesn't ever mean you have left it."

"Raven?" a voice called out softly. My heart skipped a beat and I immediately flinched, turning towards the voice.

Bright green eyes behind long, flowing hair stared back at me. I felt my tense muscles instinctively relax.

 _Seris?_

I wiped my eyes on a sleeve and saw the familiar figure of Rena step out from the shadows of the forest.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently,noting the tears.

I stood up abruptly, and gave a quick glance back at the handkerchief beside the night-blooming flower.

"Yes."

Her eyes examined me carefully. "Do you need more time by yourself?" Rena asked. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I saw you were missing and got worried."

"No, no it's fine." I shook my head and turned my back towards her. I reached over for the handkerchief and tucked it safely into my chest pocket. With my sleeve, I quickly wiped my eyes.

"Well... It's a bit late. Are you coming back to the camp?" she asked. Turning back around, I see her extending a hand towards me.

Her hand seemed welcoming and kind, and I stared at it for a few seconds before gratefully taking it.

"Yes I am. "

Rena smiled grandly, her eyes twinkling. "Come on then!" She took off running and I stumbled at first, but followed her with wide eyes as we held hands through the forest.

A small smile crept on my lips. I turned my head around, and I swear for a split second I saw Seris sitting on the root of the tree. She smiled and then her mouth moved. I couldn't hear her voice, but I knew what she had said.

As I ran into the forest hand-in-hand with Rena, I couldn't help smiling to myself. I kept my free hand on my chest, the closest to the handkerchief in my pocket.

 _I have you tucked into the safest corner of my heart... Thank you, Seris. Thank you for everything you have taught me and gone through with me._


End file.
